MUSCATINE, Iowa – This summer, there will be a new event in downtown Muscatine: Second Saturday, an arts and music street fest to be held on the second Saturday of every month from June-Oct.

The event, which will be held by the Muscatine Convention and Visitors Bureau, will take place from 5-8 p.m. on 2nd Street from Cedar Street to Pine Street on each of those Saturdays. Second Saturday will feature vendors selling handcrafted items ranging from handmade jewelry to paintings and including everything in between. There are also spaces available for food vendors, non-profits and service providers.

In addition to vendors, there will be multiple musicians performing acoustically during the event.

“We want to promote up and coming artists,” said Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Ky Cochran, who explained that the CVB is working with a group of dedicated community members, downtown business owners and community organizations to put on the event. “There will be one artist or group performing on each block and we’ll be encouraging them to sell their CDs and to busk – meaning that you’ll be able to toss dollars into hats for any acts that you like.”

The goal of the event is to promote the arts and culture in Muscatine and to support Muscatine’s downtown. Vendors will be situated in the regular parking spaces along 2nd Street, leaving the middle of the street as well as the sidewalks in front of storefronts clear for pedestrians.

“We have a number of businesses who’ve already said they’ll be staying open late during Second Saturday, so we’ll be encouraging event attendees to shop in our downtown businesses during that time,” Cochran explained. “We’re not sure yet what the perfect way to incentivize that is, but we have a lot of ideas in the works and will absolutely be implementing at least one. We want this event to positively impact these businesses’ bottom lines!”

Businesses that have already committed to being open during the event include Creations by Oz, We Can Frame That, and No More Butts Vapor Lounge. Any businesses that wish to be open during the event and to have the Second Saturday committee promote them should visit the Downtown Businesses page on the Second Saturday website, muscatinesecondsaturday.com/downtown-businesses.

Booth spaces for Second Saturday vendors are only $25 per event or $100 for all five events. Full vendor guidelines, as well as the vendor application, are available on the Second Saturday website at muscatinesecondsaturday.com/vendors. Also, while the event is open to vendors – and musicians – from anywhere, Cochran said that the Second Saturday committee is hoping to attract a number of local vendors and musicians.

“Another goal of ours is to give the artistic community that is already vibrant in Muscatine an avenue to become even more so,” Cochran described. “Muscatine and Muscatine County are home to some incredibly talented individuals and we would be proud to fill our event with them and their talent.”

The event is still in need of volunteers, Cochran said, and has a number of sponsorship opportunities. For more information on both of these opportunities, visit muscatinesecondsaturday.com or contact the Second Saturday committee at muscatinesecondsaturday@gmail.com or 563-272-2534. For up to the minute information, like Muscatine Second Saturday on Facebook.

“This event is going to be spectacular,” Cochran said. “We’re having a blast putting it together and we can’t wait to share it with the Muscatine and area communities.”